NYC street food inspires lamb kebabs

One of the great things about living in New York City is its wealth of street food, which provides us access to dishes from the four corners of the earth.

One of my faves — a favorite in the Middle and Far East — is kofta kebab.

It is heavily spiced ground meat — usually lamb or beef — molded into sausage-like oblongs, grilled on skewers, and served with a garlicky tahini/yogurt sauce in a pita pocket or flatbread. Kofta, with variations, is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine.

One of the dish’s key elements is texture. The meat should be firm. If you buy your meat at a supermarket, just follow the recipe instructions and pulse it in a food processor until almost paste-like. Then, after adding all the spices, knead the meat on the counter like dough until smooth and sticky. This will take 5 to 10 minutes.

The second key elements is its spices. Different cultures use different spices, so I chose the most appealing to me: cumin, paprika, allspice, pepper and fresh parsley. Onions and garlic are always added in raw form. I opted to saut? the onions and garlic for increased flavor and sweetness before adding them to the meat mixture.

Once the meat has been seasoned, it needs to be chilled. This firms the meat so it holds its shape on skewers when grilled. Three hours of chilling is good; 24 hours is better.

Grilled Ground Lamb Kebabs

Start to finish: 35 minutes plus 3 to 24 hours for chilling. Servings: 4.

This recipe calls for a succulent mix of lamb and beef, but you’re welcome to go all one way or the other.

For the kofta:

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the meat

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground lamb

1½ teaspoons paprika, preferably hot smoked

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon black pepper

⅓ cup minced parsley

For the sauce:

⅓ cup tahini, stirred well

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon minced garlic

Four 6 inch pitas with pockets, ¼ of the top cut off to form pocket

Shredded romaine lettuce for garnish

Hot sauce for garnish

Make the kofta:

In a medium skillet, cook the onion in the oil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and chill until it is to room temperature.

In a food processor, combine the cooled onion mixture, beef, lamb, paprika, cumin, salt, allspice and pepper and pulse the mixture until it forms a paste and is tacky to the touch. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the parsley.

Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each portion into a log around a skewer, about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide. Cover and chill the skewered meat for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

Meanwhile, make the sauce:

In a medium bowl whisk together the tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and 3 tablespoons water, adding additional water if necessary to achieve a pourable consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the grill to medium. Lightly oil the meat on both sides and grill it, turning often for about 6 minutes or until it is firm to the touch and cooked through.

Pull the meat off the skewers and transfer two logs to each of the 4 pitas. Top the meat with one fourth of the sauce and some shredded lettuce and serve with hot sauce on the side.

Nutrition information per serving: 482 calories; 255 calories from fat; 28 g fat (7 g saturated fat; 1 g trans fat); 74 mg cholesterol; 722 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 32 g protein.